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Susan Davies takes over Trails and Open Space Coalition

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Susan Davies might be well-known as a local TV news reporter, but secretly she prefers hiking boots to heels.

Dan Cleveland — former military man, and workaholic — is
the type of guy you think will never retire.

And yet, in May, Cleveland did exactly that, leaving the Trails and
Open Space Coalition he had led for 15 years to seek his replacement.
In turn, the TOSC board has done something that, on the surface, seems
equally surprising: It has hired a TV reporter as its executive
director.

Susan Davies, who has worked in broadcast journalism for 30 years
and most recently for KOAA (News First 5), will debut on Friday, Aug.
7, at TOSC's Gala in the Garden fundraiser. She's thrilled, even if she
knows it will be a bit of an adjustment heading TOSC's four-person
staff.

"At first glance, a television reporter [becoming] an executive
director of a nonprofit?" she says. "[It's] a stretch, yes."

But Davies says this is a dream job, her chance finally to get
involved in the issues that matter to her instead of standing
objectively on the sidelines and reporting on them.

The TOSC board, in turn, sees Davies, 52, as someone who has it all:
connections, communication skills, even a background in environmental
issues. Davies, a Wisconsin native, has a master's in environmental
science and management, and she covered KOAA's environmental beat for
years. Cleveland was one of her best sources, and she kept close tabs
on TOSC's activities. And she loves biking and hiking in area parks
with her husband and 8-year-old daughter. A lot of people are betting
she'll catch on quickly, including Cleveland.

"I walked into an empty office 15 years ago, and believe me, I knew
nothing," he says with a laugh. "So she's got a big advantage."

Davies also has a lot of challenges. Besides its usual menu of
events (which also includes the Starlight Spectacular midnight bike
ride each June), educational outreach, and trails and open space
advocacy, TOSC is embarking on its biggest project in years.

With tax collections down, the city isn't adequately funding many
city parks, and with a looming $23.7 million budget shortfall, the
future of many city parks is looking grim. TOSC wants to take on that
problem via a ballot measure, and hopefully garner enough voter support
to get dedicated funding for city parks, providing basic
maintenance.

TOSC is probably best known as the organization that was
instrumental in passing and renewing the Trails, Open Space and Parks
sales tax, a dedicated fund that has allowed the city to purchase
treasured properties like Red Rock Canyon, Corral Bluffs and White
Acres. But TOPS was not designed to deal with city parks maintenance,
and in April, voters said they didn't want TOPS money diverted to park
maintenance.

Bill Koerner, TOSC's new advocacy director, says TOSC might ask
voters in 2010 to consider one of two options: a special taxing
district for parks, or a dedicated tax for parks akin to a "TOPS II."
Whatever happens, he says, Davies will be a big part of the push.

"Both the city and the county have an enormous investment in their
parks system," Koerner says. "People love parks; it's part of our
culture and our environment and it's certainly part of our quality of
life."